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Today's News

Rev. John O’Dell is observing his 50th year in the ministry next month.
The two church families he pastors, Haley Chapel United Methodist and Mt. Carmel United Methodist, have survived through the generations, and have grown or sometimes diminished in number over the years, but the church doors are still open and life pulsing within to worship and serve the Lord.

The final streetscape work on Gallatin Street in downtown Vandalia is progressing ahead of schedule.
Mayor Rick Gottman reported at Monday’s city council meeting that curbs and gutters had been poured in the 700 block of West Gallatin Street, and that sidewalks were to be poured on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Gottman also said that the new approach to the parking lot for the county courthouse and jail has been completed.
By the end of the week, weather permitting, the new road surface would be poured, Gottman said.

Just about two years after St. Elmo Mayor Larry Tish removed Ken Thomason from the city’s chief of police position, a federal jury ruled that Tish did so improperly.
After deliberating for several hours, a jury in U.S. Southern District Court in East St. Louis ruled that Tish fired Thomason without giving him due process.
In issuing its verdict, the jury awarded Thomason only $1, with that award covering such things as lost wages and anguish caused by the firing.
The jury also ruled that the city must pay Thomason’s legal fees and court costs.

In their first seasons as varsity players, seniors Chelsey Stewart and Erika Blackwell have been a pleasant surprise for Vandalia tennis coach Kevin Schroeder.

Having combined for eight of the team’s 25 singles wins this season (32 percent), the two are now counted among the most important players on the team, each having once won a decisive singles match during the season.

Schroeder said it was at the beginning of this season, when they both realized they had a chance to latch on to the varsity squad, that their games began to dramatically improve.

Vandalia senior Derrick Herker and junior Blake Swofford both advanced to the Illinois High School Association Sectional Golf Championships after finishing in the top 10 at the regional match on Tuesday.

Swofford, who a shot a 69, lost a playoff hole to Marquette Catholic's Danny Selby to finish second.

Herker placed 10th after shooting a 79.

Junior Zach Jackson nearly made the sectional, but he lost a playoff hole for the final spot to Andrew Rybolt of Pana.

The Kaskaskia College Blue Angels are 16-6 in volleyball action this year.

And with only five sophomores on the Kim Potthast-Rahar-led team, the best may be yet to come. Especially if she can get a few more athletes like St. Elmo grad Brooke Maxey and South Central grad Katie Crain.